R
racer_81
Guest
Brethren, for my daughter's spring break we decided to visit my folks in Kentucky.
We hit 5 BBQ joints in 4 days, plus BBQ'd one day. Here's the report.
Sunday - 3/14. Folks picked us up in Nashville on their way back from FL.
Two and a half hours later we're eating BBQ at the Old Hickory in Owensboro.
I had mutton, pork and beef plus a pork rib from my daughter's plate.
The mutton, pork and pork ribs were excellent - as was the burgoo (it's
kinda like brunswick stew I suppose). The beef. Well, in that area of
Kentucky beef is for burgers and steaks. The aromas in the restaurant
were awesome as were the sounds. Nothing like the sound of a bandsaw
slicing up BBQ mutton.
For you NASCAR buffs, the previous time I was in Old Hickory with my
folks (1996) we ran into Michael Waltrip. My dad used to play
pickup basketball games with him. FYI - he had somebody else doing
the driving.
Monday 3/15. Hit the Moonlite BBQ Buffet. Imagine this, if you will.
All the mutton, pork, beef, burgoo, tater salad, coleslaw, mashed taters,
beans, green beans, corn, sauerkraut (with sausage), etc., you can eat for
$10. Moonlite is the most famous of the Owensboro area BBQ joints,
but the meat flavor was seconday to Old Hickory. You just don't get
off-the-pit freshness on a buffet.
Tuesday 3/16. BBQ on the farm. We BBQ'd a deer shoulder, a pork loin
painted with mustard, sprinkled with a dry rub and wrapped in bacon, a
3lb hunk of bologna and a can of Spam. Spam was eaten first. It was a
bit salty (water loss in cooking concentrated the salts) but tasty. Gotta
use the reduced salt version next time. The bologna was cored along three
axes, filled with sauce, plugged and smoked. It's one of those "acquired"
taste things. The venison was very tasty and was basted with a vinegar,
brown sugar, worsy mop. The pork loin was outstanding. I ate all the
bacon - told everybody it sucked so they would not eat it. Suckers....
Wednesday 3/17. Ventured to the Best Buy in Evansville and ate at Shyler's.
It had a smiling pig on the outdoor sign, so I figured it must be good. It's
a 50's motif place - we were in the Elvis room. The special was all the
pulled pork and pulled chicken you could eat. The pork was very good although
smothered in a Memphis-style sauce. I could detect some smoky flavor on
the pieces not smothered. The chicken was doubly smothered. It could have
been baked or boiled, but I'm sure it wasn't.
Thursday 3/18. Noon. Georges BBQ in Owensboro. Stated by SmokenSpice
to have the best burgoo in town. We did not agree. The flavor was right but
there were too many identifiable items in the burgoo. In a true burgoo, the
only things you can identify are the corn kernels. The mutton there was
excellent although the sauce was not as sweet as typical Owensboro sauce
(vinegar, brown sugar, worsey mix).
Thursday 3/18. Evening. Got some carry out from The Shady Rest. The
carry out area contains the pit. The register is about 5 feet from the big
brick pit - with the bricks covered in the wonderful visuals of smoke and
grease. Mmmmm. At the end of this pit was a small hole (ground level)
where you could see glowing wood coals with the aroma of hickory wafting
up. We got sliced mutton, pork ribs and burgoo. Again, the mutton was
excellent - some smoke flavor, tender and not gamey. The pork ribs
were excellent as well. There was some sauce with the ribs - a thinned
semi-Memphis style, but not so much that it overpowered the meat. The
meat didn't need the sauce. The burgoo had a hint of scorch to it. Burgoo,
being thick, has a tendency to stick without near constant stirring. But it
was good anyways. It's not like I haven't scorched food in my life and then
figured out it didn't taste that bad.
Friday 3/19. Fish. It's Lent. We're Catholic.
Saturday 3/20. Breakfast. BBQ mutton tacos. Mutton and a tangerine
salsa from the night before on soft tortillas. Tasty.
So, brethren, if you are ever in Owensboro, I recommend you visit any
or all of these BBQ joints. Taste for yourself. You mutton haters should
probably stick to the pork. Be sure to get some burgoo. You'll like it.
We hit 5 BBQ joints in 4 days, plus BBQ'd one day. Here's the report.
Sunday - 3/14. Folks picked us up in Nashville on their way back from FL.
Two and a half hours later we're eating BBQ at the Old Hickory in Owensboro.
I had mutton, pork and beef plus a pork rib from my daughter's plate.
The mutton, pork and pork ribs were excellent - as was the burgoo (it's
kinda like brunswick stew I suppose). The beef. Well, in that area of
Kentucky beef is for burgers and steaks. The aromas in the restaurant
were awesome as were the sounds. Nothing like the sound of a bandsaw
slicing up BBQ mutton.
For you NASCAR buffs, the previous time I was in Old Hickory with my
folks (1996) we ran into Michael Waltrip. My dad used to play
pickup basketball games with him. FYI - he had somebody else doing
the driving.
Monday 3/15. Hit the Moonlite BBQ Buffet. Imagine this, if you will.
All the mutton, pork, beef, burgoo, tater salad, coleslaw, mashed taters,
beans, green beans, corn, sauerkraut (with sausage), etc., you can eat for
$10. Moonlite is the most famous of the Owensboro area BBQ joints,
but the meat flavor was seconday to Old Hickory. You just don't get
off-the-pit freshness on a buffet.
Tuesday 3/16. BBQ on the farm. We BBQ'd a deer shoulder, a pork loin
painted with mustard, sprinkled with a dry rub and wrapped in bacon, a
3lb hunk of bologna and a can of Spam. Spam was eaten first. It was a
bit salty (water loss in cooking concentrated the salts) but tasty. Gotta
use the reduced salt version next time. The bologna was cored along three
axes, filled with sauce, plugged and smoked. It's one of those "acquired"
taste things. The venison was very tasty and was basted with a vinegar,
brown sugar, worsy mop. The pork loin was outstanding. I ate all the
bacon - told everybody it sucked so they would not eat it. Suckers....
Wednesday 3/17. Ventured to the Best Buy in Evansville and ate at Shyler's.
It had a smiling pig on the outdoor sign, so I figured it must be good. It's
a 50's motif place - we were in the Elvis room. The special was all the
pulled pork and pulled chicken you could eat. The pork was very good although
smothered in a Memphis-style sauce. I could detect some smoky flavor on
the pieces not smothered. The chicken was doubly smothered. It could have
been baked or boiled, but I'm sure it wasn't.
Thursday 3/18. Noon. Georges BBQ in Owensboro. Stated by SmokenSpice
to have the best burgoo in town. We did not agree. The flavor was right but
there were too many identifiable items in the burgoo. In a true burgoo, the
only things you can identify are the corn kernels. The mutton there was
excellent although the sauce was not as sweet as typical Owensboro sauce
(vinegar, brown sugar, worsey mix).
Thursday 3/18. Evening. Got some carry out from The Shady Rest. The
carry out area contains the pit. The register is about 5 feet from the big
brick pit - with the bricks covered in the wonderful visuals of smoke and
grease. Mmmmm. At the end of this pit was a small hole (ground level)
where you could see glowing wood coals with the aroma of hickory wafting
up. We got sliced mutton, pork ribs and burgoo. Again, the mutton was
excellent - some smoke flavor, tender and not gamey. The pork ribs
were excellent as well. There was some sauce with the ribs - a thinned
semi-Memphis style, but not so much that it overpowered the meat. The
meat didn't need the sauce. The burgoo had a hint of scorch to it. Burgoo,
being thick, has a tendency to stick without near constant stirring. But it
was good anyways. It's not like I haven't scorched food in my life and then
figured out it didn't taste that bad.
Friday 3/19. Fish. It's Lent. We're Catholic.
Saturday 3/20. Breakfast. BBQ mutton tacos. Mutton and a tangerine
salsa from the night before on soft tortillas. Tasty.
So, brethren, if you are ever in Owensboro, I recommend you visit any
or all of these BBQ joints. Taste for yourself. You mutton haters should
probably stick to the pork. Be sure to get some burgoo. You'll like it.
